Doorlock



SMR

' Feb. 5, 1935.

Ad 79 fr w. ALcoRN. 1,990,014

DOORLOCK Filed sept. 22, 1934 fpff Mur/4M 'r ATTORNEY 70. Lucas,

Patented r'eb. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOORLOCK Walter Alcorn, Columbia, S. C.

Application September Z2, 1934,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in door locks, and its objects are as followsz First, to provide a door lock especially constructed for use on railway box car doors, the principle of construction, although very simple, being such as to make it diicult for an unauthorized person to open the lock without the proper key.

Second, to provide such a door lock in which the lock mechanism is largely concealed in the thickness of the door, this mechanism and also those parts which are necessarily in view on opposite sides of the door being of a rugged construction in order to prevent breakage by any effort other than an extraordinary one.

Third, to provide a door lock in which there is a bolt which must be retracted from a locking position against a fixed housing by the proper key before the cylinder containing the bolt can be turned or otherwise moved to shift the actual locking parts.

Fourth, to provide a door lock in which the bolt assumes an obstructing position behind the key hole as long as the lock mechanism is in the unlocking position, thereby preventing the removal of the key.

Fifth, to provide a door lock made chiefly according to the foregoing constructions and for the aforesaid purposes in which the bolt does not assume an obstructing position behind the key hole, thereby enabling the removal of the key when the mechanism is in the unlocking position.

In the drawing:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a part of a railway box car and one of its doors, particularly illustrating the installation of the improved lock.

Figure 2 is a detail side elevation of the door lock, seen as viewed from the inside of the box car, and particularly illustrating the locking parts.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the bolt.

Figure 6 is sectional view similar to Figure 4, but illustrating a modification in the bolt which enables the removal of the key when the bolt is in the unlocking position.

Figure 7 is a perspective bolt.

As previously stated, the instant lock is particularly intended for use on railway box car doors, but this is not intended to be considered as a limitation on the use of the lock because it is section taken on the line view of the modied Serial No. 745,126

(Cl. l0- 46) readily applicable to instance refrigerator the like.

In the drawing, 1 designates a part of a box car, 2 the door opening and 3 the door. At the top and bottom of the door opening there are keepers 4, 5 which are rmly set in the wood or metal.

Pairs of guides or clips 6, 'l are secured at 8 to the inside of the door for the purpose of guiding and loosely retaining the lock rods 9, 10 of what are herein designated locking parts, these parts including a rocker 11 to which the near ends of the rods are pivoted at 12. The rocker 11 is adapted to be turned a limited amount in each direction, thereby causing the lock rods 9, 10 either to engage or disengage the keepers 4, 5 so as to lock or unlock the door 3. When the rocker is in the dotted line position in Figure 1 the door is locked as shown. When it is turned to the position indicated by the center line 13 the rods will be retracted from the keepers and the door will be unlocked.

The lock operating mechanism, which being the especial object of the improvement, is largely concealed in the thickness of the door 3 as shown in Figure 3. A housing 14 is xed in a hole 15, in the door by means of screws 16 (Fig. 2) or similar fastening means, which go through holes in a plate 1'1 which forms part of the housing. This plate backs the housing (Fig. 3) and closes the inner end of a cylindrical bore 18 therein with the exception of a center hole 19.

A stub shaft 20 is turnably situated in the center hole 19, that part of the stub shaft occupying the hole being cylindrical as shown. The remaining part which extends beyond the plate 17 is made non-circular as at 21. The hub of the rocker 11 (Fig. 3) is fitted on the non-circular part. The latter has an integral screw stud 22 on which a nut 23 is tightened against a washer 24. The washer bears against the hub of the rocker and holds it in place. This function is assisted by a set screw 25 (Fig. 2).

A cylinder 26 turnably occupies the bore 18. The stub shaft 20 is an integral part of the cylinder, the fastening of the rocker 11 to the stub shaft on the outside of the plate 17 serving to secure the cylinder in the housing. Turning of the cylinder causes turning of the rocker 11 for the purpose already described. The cylinder is turned by means of a handle 27 which merges into a circular plate 28 which bears against the outer end of the housing 14 and overlaps the bore 3 so as to conceal the hole 15. A key hole 29 in closures of other types, for doors, warehouse doors and the plate 28 and cylinder 26 communicates with an internal bolt chamber 30. A cylindrical pin 31 is made rigid with the cylinder 26, extending outwardly from the innermost upright wall of the chamber 30 and being centered in the round part of the key hole 29. The pin extends into this round part as shown in Figure 3, and there is a little more than enough room between the adjacent surfaces of the pin 31 and round part of the key hole when the hollow shank 32 of the key 33 is inserted in the lock.

The purpose of limiting as much as possible the space between the adjacent cylindrical surfaces of the pin 31 and round part of the key hole is to make picking of the lock as difficult as possible. The key bit 34 has wards 35 for the purpose of passing over ribs 36 (Figs. 4 and 5) of a bolt 37 in the act of unlocking the lock mechanism. The bolt has a sliding fit in the chamber 30. The housing 14 has a socket 38 into which the bolt 37 is projectable when the chamber 30 registers with the socket. A spring 39 (Fig. 4) presses the bolt into the locking position. The spring is mainly housed in a pocket 40 in the cylinder 26, and its remaining end is held in a seat 41 (Fig. 5) in a piece 42 which bridges the ribs 36. The bridge piece is extensible into the pocket 40 when the bolt is moved to the unlocking position.

The bridge piece is approximately equal in length to the width of the bolt 37. It provides an abutment for the key bit 34, and when the latter is turned to the dotted line position a (Fig. 4) the bolt is about to be lifted against the tension of the spring by the contact of the bit with the bridge piece. When the bit is turned to the dotted line position b the bolt 37 is fully retracted from the locking position, thereby making it possible to turn the cylinder 26 by means of the handle 27 (arrow c, Fig. 1) and so unlock the door 3. Further turning of the key in the same direction moves the bit past the position b, and so releases the bolt. According to the form of the invention in Figures 1 to 5, the bolt cannot return to the locking position as long as the locking parts (rods 9, 10 and rocker 11) are in the unlocked position, nor can the key 33 be withdrawn from the cylinder 26.

But in the modification in Figures 6 and 7 the key can be withdrawn although the bolt is prevented from returning to the locking position as long as the locking parts are in the unlocked position, as before. The similarity of Figures 4 and 6 will be noted. The housing l4fi contains the turnable cylinder 26a, the internal bolt chamber 38 of which contains the bolt 37B. This bolt is like the bolt 37 in all respects excepting that it has a rather deep concavity 45 into which the bit 34a of the key can be swung into a position of registration with the key hole (not shown in Fig. 6). The concavity 45 is deeper than a similar concavity in the bolt 37 and when the bit is swung into the relatively deep concavity the key can be withdrawn as will be readily understood.

As soon as the locking mechanism parts are returned to the locking position by turning the handle 37 clockwise, the bolt 37 37a will snap back to the locking position because then the bolt chamber and socket 38 (38 in Fig. 6) will be in registration. It is not until then that the key 33 can be withdrawn according to the construction in Figures 1 to 5, but the construction in Figures 6 and 7 permits an earlier withdrawal of the key. this being necessary when the workman has to unlock a number of box cars. It is regarded as desirable, although not always essential, to provide the lock with a key hole guard 43. This is pivotally attached to the plate 28 by a screw 44.

The operation is readilyunderstood. The housing 14 is iixed. The cylinder 26 is turnable within the housing by means of the handle 27. The cylinder movably carries the bolt 37, but as long as the bolt occupies the socket 38 the cylinder cannot be turned. The locking parts 9, 10, 11, therefore, cannot be moved to the unlocking position to open the door 3.

It is necessary to retract the bolt 37, 37a by means of the key 33 before the cylinder 26, 26n can be turned. Turning of the key in the proper direction engages the bit 34, 34 with the bridge piece of the bolt, continued turning of the key lifting the bolt from the socket 38, 38a. The bolt will be held retracted as long as the bit remains in the position b (Fig. 4).

The handle 27 is then turned counter-clockwise (arrow c, Fig. l) thereby unlocking the car door. The bolt 37, 37a moves out of registration with its socket, assuming the position in Figure 6. In the form of the invention in Figures 1 to 5 the bolt blocks the bit 34 upon a further turning of the key in the same direction, thereby holding the key in as long as the door is unlocked. But in Figure 6 the bolt concavity 45 is deep enough to enable a completion of the turning of the key so that the latter can be taken out of the key hole. Turning the handle 27 back in the clockwise direction enables the bolt 37, 37fI to snap back into its socket.

l. A lock comprising a fixed housing, a hollow cylinder turnably carried by the housing, said cylinder having a key hole through which the bit of a key is insertible, and a bolt movable by the bit into an unlocking position with respect to the housing and into an obstructing position with respect to the key hole to prevent removal of the key.

2. A lock comprising a fixed housing having a socket, a cylinder turnably carried by the housing, said cylinder having a bolt chamber and a key hole communicating with the chamber for the insertion of a key having a bit, and a bolt in the chamber locking the cylinder and housing together while the chamber and socket are in registration, said bit being adapted to move the bolt into a key removal obstructing position behind the key hole when turned to retract the bolt from said socket.

3. A lock comprising socket, a cylinder turnably carried by the housing, said cylinder having a bolt chamber and a key hole communicating with the chamber, and a bolt in the chamber locking the cylinder and housing together while the chamber and socket are in registration, said bolt having a bridge piece adapted to be engaged and lifted by rotation of the bit of an inserted key, said bolt having a concavity deep enough to enable complete turning of the bit for the removal of the key from the key hole when the bolt assumes an unlocking position.

4. In a lock, a housing, a plate forming a wall for one end of the housing, said plate having a hole, a cylinder turnable in the housing in contact with one side of the wall and having a stub shaft extending through said hole, and locking means operable by turning the cylinder, said means including a rocker secured to the stub shaft in contact with the other side of the wall.

WALTER ALCORN.

a fixed housing having a r 

